Jenkins (surname)
Jenkins | |
---|---|
Family name | |
Pronunciation | Jen-kins & Jon-kins |
Meaning | diminutive of John with Dutch (Flemish) influence becoming "Little John" |
Related names | Jenkin, Jenken, Jankin, Siencyn |
Footnotes: [1] |
Jenkins is a surname that originated in Cornwall, England, but came to be popular in southern Wales. The name "Jenkin" originally meant "little John" or "son of John". The "kin" portion is of Dutch origin (-kijn), which then gained a certain popularity in England.
History
As a forename
Jen/Jean (pronounced "Jon") is a diminutive of Jehan/Jehannes (John/Johan) followed by kin/ken meaning 'little', giving Jenkin or Jenken.[2] The first use of the name "Jenkins" or "Jenkens" in England occurred as early as 1086 as a diminutive of the English form of John.[3][4] It was often translated from the Flemish/French as "John the younger" or seen as "John Jenken" and incorrectly, but frequently referred as "Little John." The non-diminutive Jehan/Jehannes (pronounced "Jo-han/Jon-han-es") was also translated into English as John. When Jen/Jean and Jehan/Jehannes is seen, it is not reflective of birth order. Jehan/Jehannes is listed as "John the elder" in English, but never translated or seen as "Big John."
In early English history, confusion can arise when the sire is listed as John, a son is John (the elder) and another son is John (the younger). Then it was a direct reference to the name John in the formal and diminutive forms and not associated with birth order. Today, the term "John, Senior" is sometimes used for the father, distinguishing him from "John, Junior" or a numeric designation (e.g., "II"). "Jon" the phonetic of John is sometimes seen but only in males as is the diminutive nickname of "Johnny." The French male name "Jean", formerly pronounced "Jon", has not been common in English usage as a male name, but has been associated as a female name (pronounced as Gene) since the 16th century.
As a surname
Jenkins is a surname variant of Jenkin commonly seen in Cornish and in English (mainly Devon) ancestry. Its translation is "Little John" or, more literally, "John the little." Its earliest documented occurrence was in Monmouthshire, in the Domesday Book of 1086, but it almost certainly predates the Norman Conquest.
A common English use, leading to use as a surname, may have been the now-obsolete "little Johns", a 12th-century term for the Cornish (and later Welsh) people, either alluding to their comparatively small stature or, more likely, classing them as illegitimate offspring of the unpopular King John of England, who was previously the Earl of Cornwall and Gloucester.
A Welsh form of the name is Siencyn. "Jenkin" or "Jenkins" and variants should not be construed as shortened forms of "Jenkinson", which denotes "the son of little John."
Spelling variations
Variations of the name Jenkins have included:
- Jenkins
- Jenkin
- Jankins
- Jenkynn
- Jenkynns
- Jenkyns
- Jinkines
- Jinkins
- Jenkens
- Jenniskens
- Junkin
- Junkins
- Siencyn – a Welsh variation – John is sometimes spelled Zhahn, Sion and Sien
- Shinkwinn – an Irish variation
People
Notable people whose family name is or was Jenkins include
- Albert Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Bill Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Billy Jenkins (born 1956), musician
- Billy Jenkins (American football) (born 1974), American football defensive back
- Bob Jenkins (born 1947), American television and radio sports announcer
- Bob Jenkins (American football) (1923–2001), American football halfback
- Brian Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Carl Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Carlos Jenkins (born 1968), American footballer
- Carter Jenkins (born 1991), American actor
- Charles Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Chris Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Christopher Martin-Jenkins (1945–2013), cricket journalist
- Clive Jenkins (1926–1999), British trade unionist
- Cullen Jenkins (born 1981), defensive lineman for the Green Bay Packers
- Cynthia Jenkins (1924–2001), New York politician
- Dan Jenkins (born 1929), American author and journalist
- Daniel H. Jenkins (born 1963), American actor
- David Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Ed Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Edward Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Ella Jenkins (born 1924), American folk singer
- Ernie Jenkins (1880–1958), Wales international rugby union player
- Ernie Jenkins (baseball) (1906–1978), American baseball pitcher and manager
- Evan Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Farish Jenkins (1940–2012), American paleontologist
- Ferguson Jenkins (born 1943), Canadian baseball player
- Florence Foster Jenkins (1868–1944), U.S. "soprano" known for her extraordinary bravery on stage
- George Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Gordon Jenkins (1910–1984), American musician
- Graeme Jenkins (born 1958), British conductor
- Gwilym Jenkins (1932–1982), Welsh statistician
- Harold Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Harry Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Helen Jenkins (born 1984), British triathlete
- Henry Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Horace Jenkins (born 1974), former player in the NBA
- Hugh Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Putney (1908–2004), British Labour Party politician
- Ian Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Iain Jenkins (born 1972), Northern Ireland footballer
- Jean Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Jerry B. Jenkins (born 1949), American author
- Joe Jenkins (1890–1974), Major League Baseball catcher
- John Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Johnny Jenkins (1939–2006), American blues guitarist
- Johnny Jenkins (racing driver) (1875–1945), American car-race driver
- Joseph Jenkins (disambiguation) (1818–1898), the "Welsh Swagman", farmer, poet and diarist
- Justin Michael Jenkins (born 1971), American artist and designer
- Karl Jenkins (born 1944), Welsh musician and composer
- Katherine Jenkins (born 1980), Welsh mezzo-soprano
- Keith Jenkins, English postmodern historian
- Ken Jenkins (born 1940), American actor
- Ken Jenkins (American football) (born 1959), American football running back
- Kenny Jenkins (1945–2009), Scottish footballer
- Kris Jenkins (born 1979), defensive lineman for the New York Jets
- Sir Leoline Jenkins (1625–1685), Welsh lawyer and diplomat
- Leroy Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Lew Jenkins (1916–1981), U.S. boxer
- Louise Freeland Jenkins (1888–1970), U.S. astronomer
- Marilyn Jenkins (born 1937), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
- Michael Jenkins (disambiguation), several people named Michael and Mike
- Mick Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Neil Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Niki Jenkins (born 1973), Canadian judoka
- Nikko Jenkins (born 1986), American spree killer
- Paul Jenkins (disambiguation), multiple people
- Philip Jenkins (born 1952), Distinguished Professor of History at Baylor University
- Philip Jenkins, drummer of Kids in Glass Houses
- Renneker Jenkins (born 1989), American actor
- Richard Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Robert Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Roy Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead (1920–2003), British politician
- Sally Jenkins (born 1960), American author and journalist
- Scoville Jenkins (born 1986), American tennis player
- Sir Simon Jenkins (born 1943), British newspaper columnist
- Stephan Jenkins (born 1964), rock singer
- Terry Jenkins (born 1963), professional Darts player
- Thomas Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Thornton A. Jenkins (1811–1893), U.S. Rear Admiral
- Tom Jenkins (disambiguation), several people
- Tommy Jenkins (born 1947), English footballer
- Tommy Jenkins (Australian footballer) (1902–1979)
- Walter Jenkins (1918–1985), top aide to Lyndon B. Johnson, resigned after a scandal
- Sir Walter Jenkins (civil servant) (1874–1951), British admiralty official
- William Jenkins (disambiguation) (born 1936), U.S. politician
Fictional characters
- Anya Jenkins (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
- Doctor Albert Al Jenkins, fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders played by Adam Croasdell
- Billie Jenkins (Charmed)
- Bruno Jenkins, nurse in the BBC medical drama Casualty
- Bruno Jenkins, young boy in Roald Dahl's The Witches
- Bruno Jenkins, fictitious character portrayed by Charlie Potter in the 1990 film based on the story by Roald Dahl, The Witches
- Carl Jenkins (Starship Troopers) (Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles)
- Christy Jenkins (Charmed)
- Howell Jenkins (Howl's Moving Castle)
- Leeroy Jenkins (World of Warcraft)
- Mrs. Jenkins, John Rolfe's maid in Disney's Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World
- Mrs. Jenkins, character in Timothy Goes to School
- Nicholas Jenkins, the narrator of Anthony Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time
- Peter "Tucker" Jenkins, fictional character in the BBC children's programme Grange Hill, portrayed by Todd Carty
- Private First Class Wallace A. Jenkins, a UNSC marine in Bungie's Halo universe Halo_characters#Wallace_Jenkins
References
- ↑ Celtic Family Maps
- ↑ Probably derived from Johannes, Latin and Germanic rendering of the biblical name John. See Arthur, William An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names With an Essay on their Derivation and Import Sheldon, Blake, Bleeker & CO., New York 1857
- ↑ Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
- ↑ About the Jenkins' Family Name: http://www.djenkins.org/blog/?page_id=45